I am a grad-student at the M.A.E.E. Program of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. I am and have worked for the past two years as a teaching assistant, at the RUM. I focus on teaching composition, formatting and overall writing skills to intermediate ESL college students.
Teaching Philosophy:
I find that my mission as a teacher is threefold: I wish to promote a positive learning environment. To spark learner enthusiasm for learning. Creating balance between the relationship between educator and student. The classroom is mean to be student centered, the teacher is but a guide. To provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning. My students are encouraged to write for themselves and to understand their audience, they dont write for the teacher.
Type of students I teach:
I teach college freshman students. A diverse English proficiency classroom. The amount of students is close to 30 students per classroom. Theoretical framework: To accomplish my T.P. goals, I will be applying a variety of strategies based on essential educational principles, the first would be: Georgi Lozanovs Dessugestopedia (method). Paulo Freires praxis on education in Pedagogy of the Oppressed (balance between theory and practice). Lev Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development (which encourages individual learning). Elaine Showalters idea of continuous growth on behalf of the teacher.
D.E. Grade Level Expectations: 10.5 Create.
Writing: In this unit, students will read, listen to, and produce a variety of poems. The student will effectively communicates to a variety of audiences in different forms of writing, they go through the full writing process, use proper grammar, and expressive vocabulary. Students learn the following: W.10.2 Applies appropriate grammar, structure, and syntax; analyzes word choice to convey intended meaning. W.10.4 Applies figurative language to produce different styles of poems.
Introduction to lesson:
The objectives are simple:
Students will be introduced to the structure of a Haiku. Students will turn into Haiku writers, using this form of poetry to record three important life events, which will be accompanied with their own illustrations. In turn, students will learn a new strategy for generating a personal narrative entry.
Materials:
Mini Booklets Standard paper Colored card paper Staples Pencil or pen Coloring pencils
Introduction to todays activity!
Today you are trying to compress your life history into a single book, you must catalog those major events and the book youre writing is the size of a quarter and is limited to just a few pages. Oh, and it needs lots of pictures! What makes a Haiku, a Haiku.
Here is a short video explaining how to Haiku:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KInBpl1zXFI
Mini review lesson:
What makes a Haiku? 17 syllable poems. What are syllables? A unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word. What pattern do Haikus have? They are arranged in the following pattern: 5-7-5. Traditional ones make nature references, but can be modified to poetically tell any event.
Fun fact: Haikus are written in present time
Activity time! Pre-writing:
Take 6 to 10 minutes identifying three major life events. Think of these events as if you were living them right now. Activity time!
Then take 10 to 12 minutes shaping one of these events into a Haiku. Remember the syllable pattern: 5-7-5
Remember! You should make illustrations, so chose something that you can illustrate.
Assembly time!
In the remaining 15 minutes you will assemble your mini book as follows: Title page. Then the first stanza on the second page. On the third page illustration. Repeat step two and step three. End results should look a little something like this: Voila! Your Haiku Memoir! References: Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2000. Print. Larsen-Freeman. Techniques and principles in language teaching . 3rd Edition: Oxford University Press, 2001. Showlater, Elaine. Teaching Literature. Oxford: Wiley- Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Print.